7.0 Municipal Issues

Issue

The structure for municipal tipping fees is inconsistent around the province. Some regions charge less for recyclables and organics than for garbage. Restaurants and businesses need to realize the economic benefit of source separating their waste. Restaurant owners and managers, and their associations are critical of increases in hauling costs due to source separation.

Current Situation

Currently, there are no regulations regarding what fees waste haulers charge restaurants for removal of their waste. Many regions charge double for contaminated waste. This is an effective tool for encouraging proper source separation at the early stages of a waste source separation program.

Recommendations

7.1 Tipping Fee Structures

Municipal tipping fees for garbage should be significantly higher than tipping fees for recyclables and organics. The tipping fees for recycling and organics should be low or non-existent. A tipping fee structure that encourages recycling and composting of waste should be implemented across the province.

The haulers’ pricing system would then reflect this pricing structure in order to provide an incentive to restaurant owners and managers to source separate their waste. Any restructuring of tipping fees should be done with the participation of other stakeholders in order to make them partners in the process.

A fee structure where the cost of hauling recycling and organics is subsidized by the cost of hauling waste will result in a redistribution of costs or only a small increase in net costs. In the Bridgewater experience, it was found that while “greening” initially takes greater effort, once established, the volume of waste shifted toward recyclables and compost and away from garbage, thus reducing costs. As well, restaurants should be encouraged to make the connection that waste reduction is an effective means to cutting hauling costs.